A Little to the Right
by Empty With You
Summary: While testing a kick for one of Yuduf's sedatives, Arthur falls wrong and breaks his arm. Suddenly Eames doesn't find it quite so funny anymore. Eames/Arthur


Title: A Little to the Right

Pairing: Eames/Arthur

Rating: PG

Word Count: 3,975

Disclaimer: I'm not smart enough to own any of this.

A/N: Let me know what you think! Worked a long time on this story =)

* * *

Yusuf needed to test out the heavy sedative that he had been hired him for. Somehow Arthur was volunteered to be the guinea pig in order to test how the kick worked while under the sedative. After having his chair tilted off balance earlier, he could only imagine the joy Eames was going to get out of this. With a sigh Arthur sat himself down on the chair and took out the needle for the PASIV. He could see a set of cushions behind him and knew that Yusuf would be pushing him backwards. Arthur wasn't surprised that Eames stood close by leaning on the table in order to get a good look, a grin plastered on his face.

Arthur rolled his eyes and tried to relax in the chair.

"Ready?" Yusuf asked.

"Ready."

Yusuf pressed the yellow button and watched as Arthur's eyes slowly closed and his whole body relaxed. He looked down at his watch and waited for about a minute to pass before he grabbed on to Arthur's chest and pushed him backwards toward the cushions. Arthur's eyes snapped open and his arms reached out as he felt himself fall.

Eames laughed at seeing the talented point man falling in a way that could not be classified as graceful and his eyes filled with glee at seeing the other man out of his element, even if for just a moment.

"Very good," Yusuf commented as Arthur helped himself back up. His face felt flush, for only a brief second, at the sound of Eames finding joy in his embarrassment. It had absolutely nothing to do with the forger's husky laugh; at least Arthur would continue to tell himself that.

"Let's try again, shall we?"

Yusuf waited until the point man was seated once again before taking Arthur back into the dream world. Another minute went by, and Yusuf reached out to push Arthur over again while glancing down at his watch. Unfortunately, he had forgotten that he never moved the cushion, and he was pushing Arthur to the right this time, not backwards. Yusuf looked up from his watch to see Arthur's eye snap open, and he reached out with his right arm to catch himself. The chemist's eyes widened, but it was too late.

Eames could see the awkward way that Arthur was about to land, thanks to Yusuf not paying attention. In a blink of an eye all traces of a smile was gone from the forger's face.

"Shit!" he cried, reaching forward, but to no avail.

Arthur fell over in the chair, unconsciously putting out his right arm to brace his fall. A crack echoed throughout the warehouse and everyone went silent. Arthur had only just woken up and all he could feel was pain shooting up and down his arm. He stayed on the floor, curling his body around his injured arm instinctively. The point man squeezed his eyes shut to try and block out the pain, but it was too sharp.

Eames knelt down beside him; he didn't know what else to do.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, except I think I just severely hurt my arm," he replied, clenching his teeth together. There was no blood or an open skin wound, so if it was broken then it was a closed fracture. That was the only thing that Arthur was sure of.

"No shit," Eames said, trying to lighten the mood, and take Arthur's mind off the pain. "Let's get you to a hospital."

Yusuf looked on through wide eyes, too scared to move. "I'm so, so sorry Arthur. Are you okay?" he babbled, cringing from the glare Eames was giving him.

"It's alright, Yusuf. Accidents happen," Arthur replied in a professional tone, despite the pain. He didn't take it personally, even though it hurt like hell. Arthur was use to dealing with pain in the dream world, but that went away once he woke up. However, outside of his dreams he was a very careful person. Though it was hard to believe in his line of work, Arthur had never broken a bone in his life. So this real pain in his arm was somewhat new to him. Arthur was aware of the fact that he would have to deal with having his writing arm in a cast, for as long as it took to heal. This was going to make this job much more difficult for him now.

Saito had been making a routine visit, checking out the teams' progress when he witnessed Arthur fall. He cursed under his breath in his native tongue before slipping back into his professional façade.

"I have my own personal physician; my driver will take you to him. You won't have to deal with the paper work of a hospital," Saito stated, taking care of his team was a priority for him.

Eames nodded, and then proceeded to help Arthur get up from the cold floor. Arthur sucked in a breath through his teeth as he cradled his injured arm close to his chest. Due to his pain he even allowed Eames to keep his arm around him leading him out of the warehouse.

"Thanks Saito," Arthur called out as they walked out the door.

Once the door closed everybody turned to stare accusingly toward Yusuf.

"What? It was an accident," he pouted, dropping down into a nearby chair defeated. Yusuf slumped forward, putting his head in his hands, trying to ignore the looks he was getting from the rest of the team.

Eames led the injured Arthur outside to Saito's driver, who had already been made aware of the situation. As the car door shut after them, all of Arthur's defenses fell down and he started to shake slightly. He had lost all his energy to keep his walls up and hide his weaknesses. He let them all down in front of the one person he hid the most from. At the same time Arthur wouldn't rather be with anyone else at that moment. He couldn't imagine letting anyone else see him as anything other than the put together point man he was known best as.

Eames saw the point man's defenses drop and could see the pain hiding in his eyes. Without a second thought he reached out and pulled Arthur into his chest, wrapping his arms around the slender man. He was careful not to move Arthur's arm in any way. Surprisingly, Arthur let himself be pulled toward the forger and even buried his head into the muscular chest. Eames kept his arm carefully placed on the point man's shoulders.

"You must think I'm a big baby," Arthur mumbled into Eames' chest.

"You can't be strong all the time, pet. But you're definitely not a baby," Eames replied, brushing his hand through Arthur's gelled hair. He was pleasantly surprised that Arthur actually let him touch his hair, something he didn't overlook. Eames decided to touch the dark hair as much as possible before Arthur realized that he was messing with his normally perfect locks.

Arthur could feel Eames' fingers in his hair, but he couldn't find it in him to complain. Besides, it was a very soothing feeling and took his mind off the pain in his arm, even if it was only slightly.

For the rest of the car ride Arthur kept his eyes shut, trying to concentrate on Eames' fingers running through his hair, trying to forget the shooting pain running through his arm. When he opened his eyes he could feel Eames nudging his shoulder lightly.

"Here we are, pet. The doctor should make everything better."

"Don't treat me like a child Eames. I know what doctors do," Arthur replied, rolling his eyes, but his left hand gripped on to Eames' unfashionable shirt like a lifeline.

The forger couldn't help the smile that passed his lips at Arthur's attempt to regain his façade of always being composed.

"No need to get testy. I'm just making sure. You did fall pretty hard; you could have hit that pretty little head of yours," Eames said, holding his hands up in mock defense.

He led the injured man into the building where the physician was already waiting for them.

"Good afternoon, Arthur I presume?" the doctor asked nodding in Arthur's direction when he noticed his arm.

The doctor was skinny, and a few inches taller than Arthur. He had curly dark hair that was starting to gray.

"Nice to meet you," Arthur said, tilting his head slightly. He would have shaken the man's hand, but his right hand was currently unavailable for obvious reasons.

"Alright, let's take a look, shall we? Have a seat please," the doctor said, gesturing toward the examination table.

Arthur nodded and struggled to get on the table, with a lot of help from Eames. He kept his injured arm immobilized against his chest, making it difficult to climb up with just his left arm. Eames proceeded to grab his thin waste and propped Arthur up on the table.

"Thanks," Arthur mumbled under his breath, looking away sheepishly.

Eames' eyes narrowed slightly at the sentiment, it was rare for Arthur to thank him for anything and actually mean it. Then a small smirk tugged on the corner of his lips at the thought. This behavior was clearly out of Arthur's comfort zone, but Eames couldn't help but enjoy it.

"You're welcome, darling," Eames replied.

Arthur rolled his eyes at the pet name, though he was truly thankful for Eames' help.

"How did you come to hurt your arm?" the doctor asked his attention on Arthur.

"Oh, I… um…" All Arthur could remember was waking up to the pain in his arm.

Eames interrupted when he saw the point man struggle to answer. "Well, doctor, my friend here fell out of his chair. Put his arm out, and I'm sure you can imagine how that panned out."

The doctor nodded and walked up to Arthur, reaching out to investigate his arm.

"Let's see," the doctor said, mostly to himself.

"Well if it's broken it's a closed fracture. No bone broke through any skin. I can see the swelling though, multiple signs of a break. I'll need you to come with me to take a couple of X-rays to see what we're dealing with," the doctor told Arthur.

Arthur nodded, while trying not to wince as the doctor touched his arm. The doctor turned and gestured for Arthur to follow him.

"I'm sorry but you'll have to stay here," he informed Eames.

Eames frowned. It was just a few X-rays, so it seemed odd that part of him wanted to follow the point man and be there for him. They'd been through much worse in the dream world. Apparently Eames had a soft spot for seeing Arthur experience real pain in the real world. He pushed down the disappointment and gave Arthur a reassuring smile. Eames didn't know why he felt the need to reassure him, but the smile he got in return made it worth it.

Time passed slowly as Eames waited for the two men to return. He didn't know what to do with himself, and he was getting restless by himself. When Arthur returned Eames was sitting sideways in the chair, his legs thrown over the arm of the chair while he leaned against the other side. He looked up as soon as he noticed the point man.

"Hey," Eames smiled. "So did they find any abnormalities? Any sticks inside of you?" He raised an eyebrow in question, a smile forming across his face.

Arthur sat down himself, this time in the second chair in the room rather than attempt to get on the examination table again. He looked over at Eames incredulously.

"Sorry to disappoint, but there aren't any sticks in me," he shook his head, able to take this moment to forget about where they were.

Eames shrugged innocently, and then adjusted himself to sit up straight.

"That doctor probably has one though, right up his ass."

"Eames!" Arthur scolded.

"What? He definitely lacks in social skills, didn't even introduce himself. Anyway, darling, do you think he'd give me some kind of cast or sling too? I'd look pretty badass," Eames commented while looking at his arm.

Arthur's lip twitched up in a half smile.

"Ah, looks like I make you smile," Eames announced, pointing at Arthur's lip.

Arthur rolled his eyes, "That was hardly a smile."

"Oh really? What was it then?" he asked, leaning forward to but his head in his hands. He looked over at Arthur, focusing all his attention and feigning eagerness.

"It was a smirk. Don't get so excited," Arthur explained.

"Whatever you say, love. I'll get you to smile and admit it before we get back to the warehouse," Eames promised with a grin.

Arthur looked up into the talented thief's eyes and could see he was being genuine, not his usual cocky self. A small smile tugged on the corner of his lips, but he concealed it behind his hand.

"You're on, Mr. Eames."

Just then the doctor returned with the X-rays in his hands. He walked directly toward the wall and hung them up. He flipped on the light for the board, and Arthur's bones became visible.

"It's a break of your radius bone right here," the doctor explained, pointing to the X-ray, "You are lucky, however, that it's a clean break. You won't need surgery, but you will need to wear a cast for a couple of weeks, about six to eight weeks depending on the healing process. Mr. Saito gave me strict orders to take care of you. So if you'll follow me we'll get you all set up right away."

The doctor turned and walked back toward the door, gesturing for Arthur to follow. Then he was gone in a flash, without checking to see if Arthur was behind him.

"See you when you're done, pet," Eames said with a smile. Arthur nodded in his direction and then followed the doctor, hoping to get this over with as soon as possible.

This time Eames fell asleep in the chair in an awkward position as he waited. He woke up to voices talking to each other; he didn't know how much time had passed. Eames rubbed his sore neck, and stretched out into a more comfortable position.

"At least a few times a day I'm going to need you to move your arm in order to minimize stiffness in your arm, hand and shoulder while you're wearing the cast. Once it's off we can talk about additional exercises to restore your muscle strength. For now here is my number, call me in about six weeks, and we can see about taking your cast off," the doctor explained everything to Arthur, though it just sounded like white noise to Eames.

He watched as Arthur nodded along to everything the doctor told him. The lean man reached out with him left hand and took a piece of paper from the doctor. That's when Eames saw the cast that was now surrounding Arthur's right arm. All the possibilities of what he could write on the cast ran through his mind, and it would have to stay there for at least six weeks. He needed to find a permanent marker, and fast.

"Here are some recommended over the counter pain killers for any pain or discomfort you may feel." The doctor handed him another piece of paper before the ushering the two of them out the door.

"Good day, gentlemen," he said.

Before they knew it the door had shut and they were outside. Arthur and Eames turned around and were grateful to see Saito's car still waiting for them. Eames ran over to the car door and opened it for Arthur, in a gentleman fashion.

"Thank you, Mr. Eames," Arthur commented before shuffling his way into the back seat, with Eames coming in right after him.

Inside the car they sat in silence for a while as exhaustion hit Arthur from the long day.

"This sucks," he said, breaking the silence.

"How very un-ladylike of you," Eames said, feigning shock.

"Oh shut up, Eames," Arthur replied half-heartedly. "You're not the one who has to rely on his left hand for the next few weeks."

"Well, I could help you until you're recovered. I'll be you're right hand, darling. I can help you write, carry things, and even help you get off if you need to," the forger offered, glee dancing in his eyes.

"Eames!" Arthur's eyes shot open.

"Oh, but I will not wipe you. That crosses even my boundaries."

"Eames!" Arthur stared at him incredulously.

"Ah, who am I kidding? I don't have any boundaries."

Arthur studied the playful look on Eames' face and shook his head. He should be use to his antics by now, but Eames always managed to surprise him somehow. A smile threatened to form upon his lips, but he covered it quickly. He didn't want Eames to win just yet; he didn't want him to stop trying.

The smile that spread across Eames' face was full of humor; he gave Arthur a little wink just to top it all off, before relaxing back into the seat of the car.

Eames looked over at the stiff posture of the point man and opened his arms, inviting Arthur to relax against him. Arthur looked surprised but then turned to lean his back against Eames' chest. The forger wrapped his arms around him, careful not to touch the cast too much.

Arthur knew it should feel weird, acting so comfortable with Eames. It just felt right. He fit into every curve of Eames body, he felt like a puzzle piece finding its match. In this moment he fit here, he shut off his logical thinking and his need to explain every detail. In this moment he decided to relax and enjoy the comfort that Eames was offering. He didn't worry about who it was. He didn't worry about how they worked together. For once Arthur wasn't worrying about the details.

His brow furrowed in confusion, however, when he heard Eames directing the driver to the hotel, rather than the warehouse.

"What are you doing? We have to get back to work."

"It's been a long day. Wouldn't you rather just relax back at my hotel room? There's not much you can do at work anyway," Eames explained.

"We have so much to… Wait, your room?" Arthur asked, looking up at the thief in question.

"Yes, pet, my room," Eames replied matter of fact. "You're going to need help, your first night with that cast."

"Fine."

He was too tired to fight back and forth about it. Arthur could take care of himself without any problems, cast or no cast. If he thought about it further though, he'd have to admit that he actually wanted to spend more time with Eames. That was a thought that Arthur didn't know if he was ready for just yet. Therefore, he blamed it all on fatigue instead.

"Besides, now I have more time to get you to admit that I make you smile," Eames stated, a satisfied smirk on his lips.

"Whatever you say, Mr. Eames," Arthur replied with a shake of his head.

The rest of the car ride went by in a comfortable silence. Before they both knew it they were standing in front Eames' hotel room, and he was opening the door.

"Welcome to my lovely abode, well my temporary one anyway," he said, holding the door open for the point man.

Arthur slowly stepped inside, his eyes scanning across the entirety of the room.

"It's as messy as I expected," he commented, noting the empty pizza box on the coffee table and articles of clothing thrown around the room.

"You wound me, I just cleaned it yesterday," Eames replied, putting a hand over his heart, pretending to be offended.

"Make yourself comfortable then, unwind for once," he continued, gesturing to the room.

Arthur frowned, he felt like he'd unwound enough for one day. He carefully toed of his shoes, though, and carefully lined them up against the wall. The sleeve of his button up shirt was folded over the cast on his arm. Slowly Arthur was able to undo all the buttons with his left hand, taking the shirt off, and leaving him in only a white tank top. He folded the shirt the best of his abilities before laying it on top of the cleanest surface he could find. When he turned around back to Eames he was surprised to see he'd undressed down to his undershirt, boxers, and socks. Arthur stood in front of the thief, feeling naked in a tank top and black slacks.

On the other hand, Eames simply smiled, his discarded clothes now bunched up in a pile on the floor. He gave the lean man an appraising look before turning to jump into the hotel bed, making himself comfortable.

Arthur flushed, feeling even more uncomfortable at the intimacy of the situation. He tried to look everywhere but at the half naked Eames now lounging in the hotel bed. He turned around and moved toward the couch he believed was hidden underneath the mess, at the other side of the room.

"Come on, pet," Eames called out, stretching out his arms in an open invitation.

"That's alright, the couch is fine," Arthur declined, desperately trying to forget how it felt to be in his arms.

"Arthur," Eames said, using his real name as his tone became sincere. "You can relax and let your walls down around me. I will never judge you for this, or tease you about it. You are much more beautiful when you aren't trying to hide behind perfection. You can wear your hard exterior in front of everyone else, but it's just me here. This will stay between us, our little secret."

Arthur paused uncertain; he studied Eames for a long minute, trying to find any signs deceit. When all he found was sincerity etched across Eames' face he stopped worrying about how he looked. His lips twitched and then formed a full fledged smile.

"I believe that's a smile, and I also believe that's a yes," Eames grinned in response, keeping his arms open for the point man.

Arthur shook his head at a cocky Eames and carefully crawled into the bed without a word. He fit his back against Eames' broad chest, with a little help. He relaxed as he felt Eames' arms wrap around him once more. Arthur would be able to build up his walls again at work tomorrow, throw himself back into the details, but for now he was relaxed and let himself fall asleep in Eames' strong arms.

Eames held the lean body close to his own and watched as his eyes drifted closed.

"Sleep well, love."

He reached behind his back to retrieve the black permanent marker he'd hidden when Arthur wasn't looking. It hadn't been hard to snatch it off the doctor's desk earlier. Eames snapped off the black cover with his teeth and then went to work to leave his mark on Arthur's cast.

In big letters Eames wrote, "**Eames is the bestest!**"

He grinned at the thought of Arthur waking up to that view in the morning, something that he would be stuck with for the next couple of weeks.

Then he turned Arthur's arm slightly to leave him a smaller message, one just for him.

Feeling accomplished, Eames put the cap back on the marker and then threw it to the floor. He looked at his work with a content smile on his lips, before relaxing back into the bed with Arthur in his arms.

**Our little secret **

Just before sleep took Eames, he hoped it wouldn't be their last.

The End


End file.
